A hangover is something that just about all of us have experienced at some point in time.

After spending a night out drinking, you may wake up in the morning with your head feeling heavy and your stomach in knots. At that moment, you probably decided that you would quit drinking, to prevent this awful feeling from happening again.

No matter how hard you may have tried though, chances are that it happened again.Even though we all know that alcohol can lead to hangovers, the cause of a hangover is something we don't know.

Alcohol does have some positive effects on the body, although it can also lead to negative effects such as hangovers. Some doctors will actually recommend it, while others will tell you never to drink it. Even though drinking is good, moderation is the key.

The easiest way to avoid hangovers is to drink in moderation - and never get drunk.As many of us already know, whisky, bourbon, and wine can result in a much harder hangover than vodka or beer.

For many people, chemicals in wines or yeast found in unfiltered beers can result in headaches. Beer, wine, and liquor can be fun and relaxing to drink, although if you aren't careful you can easily get a headache or a hangover.

Even though the cause for hangovers is unknown, it has been proven that the headaches associated with hangovers stem from dehydration. With alcohol being a diuretic, it will make you urinate quite often.

Therefore, if you drink alcohol or beer on a daily basis, your body will remain dehydrated. When you wake up in the morning with a bad headache and turn to coffee, which is also a diuretic, the process of dehydration actually gets worse.

You'll also need to do something with the alcohol that has been left in your body. Even though a hangover can make you want to stay in bed, the secret to getting yourself back on track is movement.

To rid your body of the alcohol, you'll need sweat. Sweating gets the toxins out of your body, and helps you feel better. You can exercise or have sex to get over a hangover (I know which I'd do!)as the heat your body emits will be too much for alcohol toxins to handle.

Although a hangover can be a bit of a pain, it can be prevented. The first rule of drinking any type of alcoholic beverage is to never drink on an empty stomach. If you eat a good meal before you start drinking, you'll find that the food can help you digest the alcohol much better.

Hangover Cures

Okay, so let's look at a few things we can eat or drink to fix a hangover. Let's be a bit less sensible and have what the body craves. I totally believe in this. If I'm thirsty, I'll drink, if after a few beers I feel hungry I want a donner kebab or a curry, that's what I'll do. And when I wake up in the morning with a hangover, I'll go for something that my body wants!

You get up feeling dehydrated. So a glass of water is the answer. You're lacking in sugar, so a fizzy drink- I go for Tizer- is usually a good cure and if you're hungry, so a cooked breakfast is a fantastic hangover cure.

It doesn't have to be bacon, eggs, sausage, black pudding, fried bread and tomatoes swimming in a pan of cooking oil. There is such a thing as a healthy cooked breakfast. Grill a few slices of bacon and sausages and have a poached or scrambled egg. And don't put any butter on your toast. Have a cup of sweet tea to keep you hydrated and if all else fails, have a few painkillers and an alka selzer. Don't fight a hangover by just suffering, fix your hangover by having what your body craves.